Travelling recently within Nigeria, the plane encountered air turbulence, and from the passengers seated behind me in the flight, prayers began. Since my seat was nearer the cockpit, I saw the cabin crew as they sat safely chatting without any signs of anxiety. To a frequent flyer, such air turbulence is no cause for anxiety. However, not everyone is a frequent flyer and may be experiencing such for the first time.
Flying today is safer than it has ever been. As the plane experienced turbulence, I felt that the pilot was likely to take the plane to a higher altitude as I had checked out the type of plane while leaving the boarding gate towards the tarmac. Whether one is in a two-seat fixed–wing training aircraft, a four-seat commercial helicopter, a single–seat microlight, a turboprop engine commercial flight carrying less than 50 passengers and crew, or an Airbus A380 carrying 500 passengers and crew, the industry has always continually paid attention to safety and will continue to do so.
There are various emergency situations aircraft experience on a regular basis. While some are minor, some others can endanger the safety of the aeroplane as well as those onboard. However, pilots go through regular training for the most common incidents that might pose a threat to an aircraft. They are able to handle these incidents whether they are due to technical reasons or some other event occurring during flight. They are also well trained to handle these types of events even if they take place in the air or on the ground.
Not only are pilots able to deal with emergencies as they occur, but they are also trained to seek assistance as soon as possible when they meet with such a situation. There are also standardised communications for emergency situations such as “pan pan” and “mayday”.
Crews also use standardised checklists to make sure that necessary steps are taken during an emergency. These cabin crew are trained to handle emergency situations which includes communication with passengers. For instance, they use pre-flight briefings as well as safety demonstrations to prepare passengers for emergency procedures. So passengers are advised to pay attention to the demonstration by the crew before the plane is airborne while noting too that effective communication among crew members is vital in situations of emergency.
One primary concern of passengers is safety. Airlines and airports and all members of the airport community should collaborate for effective emergency communication as this will alleviate the anxiety of the passengers on board a plane, as well as their friends and family. In Africa, airports will do well to include in their passenger planning process, not only the passenger and his or her journey, but also the friends and family they will be coming to the airport with.
This also does not rule out the fact that clear and timely communication from the crew during an emergency is crucial. In that case, the language of communication is important. English is not the native tongue of Africans so approaching such communication leveraging on a multilingual approach will be helpful to the passenger as well as friends and family.
While crews work towards minimising passenger discomfort during emergencies such as providing oxygen masks or evacuating the aircraft if it comes to such, passengers as well as friends and family and other members of the airport community may need to give feedback during and after emergencies. These will help improve response by the crew in an emergency and the airport community when other emergencies take place.
Some other means of communication such as the use of visual aids like safety videos, diagrams, and signage will supplement verbal communication. The need for frequent updates on the situation and any action being taken should also not be lost on the airport community and cabin crew during an emergency. It will also pay off to leverage digital platforms such as mobile apps, to pass across information and make available two-way communication. While doing so, being able to walk in the shoes of the customer, which is empathy is very important.
When the airport community effectively handles emergency communication and passenger experience, this will go a long way to improve safety, reduce anxiety and also enhance the overall travel experience.
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